1. Technical Field
This invention relates to alarms and, more particularly, to a vehicle child seat alarm for alerting a driver when a child is left unattended in a vehicle child seat.
2. Prior Art
It seems that every summer there are news reports of children dying due to being left unattended in a closed vehicle. If a baby or young child is (inadvertently or purposefully) left in a vehicle, the child can quickly be in danger of serious heat-related problems. Even if windows are cracked open, the vehicle is parked in the shade, and the outside temperature seems temperate to an adult, the inside temperature of a vehicle can quickly become unbearable to a child trapped therein. Tragically, this often happens when well-meaning, but stressed or busy parents, forget to remove a sleeping infant or toddler from a car.
The use of alerting devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, alerting devices heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of sensing occupants of vehicles are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
One example discloses a child warning system for use with a vehicle's car seat that is capable of providing alerts for such situations as the seat is improperly mounted or the restraint is improperly buckled. Another example discloses a mechanism for monitoring the occupancy of space in a vehicle to determine use of seatbelts and air bags. Yet another prior art example shows a mechanism for sensing the occupancy of passengers and a child seat in a vehicle for use in controlling air bags.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a child seat alarm for preventing a child from being left inside a motor vehicle once a door of the vehicle has been opened or its engine has been shut off.
Accordingly, a need remains for a vehicle child seat alarm in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a vehicle child seat alarm that is easy to use, gives parents peace of mind, and increases the safety of babies and young children. Such a system reminds the vehicle operator if a child is present in a car seat when the vehicle door is opened and/or the engine is turned off. This advantageously ensures that the person does not unintentionally forget the child in the vehicle, which could lead to serious injury or death of the child.